Chapter 343: Negotiation and Confirmation

Then, Meng Changqing felt a bit of regret for speaking too quickly.

Because Du En, calm and expressionless, very simply took back all the other fifth-tier spiritual items he had originally intended to use for confiscation and to balance the scales.

Meng Changqing: "..."

"Um, is it, perhaps, time, for my matter?"

While this side fell into silence, Jiang Ying was so anxious she was covered in sweat, hesitating and trying to speak in a stammering, ingratiating manner.

She couldn't help but be anxious; after all, as time passed, based on her understanding of True Monarch Buyi...

"It is indeed time to discuss your matter."

There was still this thorny issue, making Meng Changqing secretly lament that this guy Du En really knew how to find work for him. He cast a spell to seal and store the Earth Dragon skin, then put away the two piles of spiritual items and materials, leaving only the Earth Dragon egg in one hand while freeing the other.

Just as Jiang Ying was feeling joyful, a figure appeared behind her.

"Junior Brother Changmeng..."

"I told you not to call me that, and besides, this time it wasn't me who instigated it!"

Meng Changqing pushed the responsibility away first, not wanting to take the blame for Du En for the time being.

As for Jiang Ying, she was completely stunned, as if she had been hit by an immobilization spell.

Ah no, how could you let that scoundrel in?! She wanted to cry but had no tears, yet True Monarch Buyi didn't pay any attention to her thoughts, even though they were very easy to see.

He only looked toward Du En.

This was also Du En's first time seeing this True Monarch; he looked just like a rock, a rock that had existed since the heavens and earth were split and the universe was created, without any wear or change.

In a word, visibly stubborn and unyielding! Heh! One of you is impervious to reason and unrepentant, the other is stubborn and unyielding, never moving or changing—I must see what kind of collision this will produce! Meng Changqing had quite the spectator's mindset at this moment.

But the development of facts was very simple.

"Jiang Ying wants to defect to the Resolution, and I am acting as the go-between for her."

"And then? How do you intend to convince me?"

"The True Monarch's core demand is nothing more than using external pressure to make her continuously unleash her potential in a fierce environment, thereby making her supreme physical body live up to its name and become the supreme hegemon body you approve of."

"That is so, but it is not only that."

"But it is the prerequisite, is it not? Even if the True Monarch wants to obtain a handy blade, one must first forge it; otherwise, it is just empty talk."

"That makes sense."

"In her current state, does the True Monarch really think she can break through again?"

"No."

Only then did True Monarch Buyi look toward Jiang Ying, his eyes revealing nothing but a cold indifference, as if disappointed that she failed to live up to expectations.

Yet he had to admit that her current mental state, when encountering the Nascent Soul barrier on the path to breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, might lead her to suddenly harbor evil thoughts, and out of a desire to gain power and defeat herself, she might fail the breakthrough, be swallowed by the mental barrier, and have her body disintegrated as she returned to the heavens and earth.

Of course, for this situation, True Monarch Buyi had his own set of contingency plans.

"But none of them compare to her breaking through through her own cultivation."

Du En blocked this topic in advance, pointing out the key with blunt sharpness: "The supreme physical body, paired with the innate divine soul and will within it, are two indispensable parts for climbing to the peak. Even the true secret of this physical body, which hides profound mysteries, is rooted in the seemingly weak divine soul aspect."

"I don't necessarily need such a sharp blade."

"You don't look like someone who fears a blade being too sharp."

"That is generally correct, but there are some differences."

"We are not discussing that right now."

"... You mean to say, let her relax first, or rather, let her change to a new environment, like a warm water pool used for quenching, so as to obtain a transformation of the divine soul."

"That is what I am thinking."

"Not enough."

"There is one more point. Isn't the external pressure exactly what the True Monarch wants? I can serve as that, ensuring that every time she breaks through, she receives sufficiently ample and uniform pressure."

Huh? Hearing this, Jiang Ying was completely dumbfounded!

True Monarch Buyi glanced at him and replied expressionlessly: "That is barely enough, though it is somewhat lacking."

Right, right, right, how could he be heartless and ruthless enough to beat me into a cripple the moment I want to break through?

"Once I refine my spiritual body further and strengthen its frontal durability, I can make up for the deficiency."

So that's what was lacking! Jiang Ying wanted to cry but had no tears.

True Monarch Buyi pondered slightly and nodded: "Then, let us leave her in the care of Junior Brother Changqing for a period of time."

When all was said and done, he still honored his alliance with Meng Changqing.

So, having said that, he didn't care at all about Jiang Ying's thoughts, turned around, and left, returning to the Main Pivot Hall.

"Tsk!"

Meng Changqing clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Why didn't anyone ask for my opinion?"

Of course, what he was truly annoyed about was that, no matter how he looked at it, he felt these two were actually quite birds of a feather.

And what gave him a slight headache was that True Monarch Buyi clearly couldn't be the factor to correct Du En.

"The Resolution didn't say anything just now, doesn't that mean approval?"

"... I thought you would make an issue out of this Earth Dragon egg, which is why you were holding it in your hand. I didn't expect your point of leverage to be this. So, the question arises: when she is about to break through, are you really going to beat her to the brink of death?"

"Wow! This is not what we agreed on! Haven't I completely failed to escape the sea of suffering?"

Jiang Ying couldn't help but cry, because when Du En said he would really hit her, he would actually beat her to the brink of death! Nothing like bullying the weak or cherishing the fair would be a reason to stop him!

It's over, I've really fallen into a second deep pit! But Du En only said: "Since the Resolution cannot bear to watch, and she has defected to the Resolution, then I will trouble you, Resolution, to find a way to avoid it."

In the end, as long as Jiang Ying remained with Meng Changqing and maintained her speed of progress, it made no essential difference to True Monarch Buyi whether it was Du En beating her for tempering or not.

"Of course, based on his temperament, it will be necessary to spar a few times."

Is it really just sparring?

Jiang Ying didn't quite believe it now, while simultaneously looking longingly at her true savior, the dignified True Monarch Meng Zhun.

"I knew it, you were definitely going to play the hands-off manager."

Meng Changqing was not at all surprised; then, naturally, he once again took out the same set of standards he had used for Ying Dongqing back then to test and determine the criteria for Jiang Ying.

Of course, there was a great difference between the two.

First, Jiang Ying only appeared like a female demon because she had been suppressed by force, but the kindness in her heart had not vanished; second, Meng Changqing was currently very short on talent.

Someone like Jiang Ying, who was at the peak among her peers and possessed immense potential to be tapped, was naturally incomparable to Ying Dongqing, who was still groping for his own path to Deity Transformation and would basically stop at being a Great Cultivator.

Therefore, for such talent that delivered itself to his doorstep, he would of course accept all comers and only take in, never let out!

He had originally intended to withstand the pressure and block True Monarch Buyi back.

In any case, the small three-person alliance was effectively abolished, and since True Monarch Buyi had previously been stubborn and followed True Monarch Huiqing to oppose him, it would be better to use this to tear it apart, completely show his hand, and restore the status quo!

Actually, it would have no real impact on the aftermath; after all, that was True Monarch Buyi.

It was just that this way, Jiang Ying would have to be kept under wraps; until she reached the True Person stage, she could not move about or appear recklessly, otherwise the targeting and hunting she would face would be even more extreme and intense than what True Monarch Huiqing had faced.

After all, that was True Monarch Buyi.

In short, he was just a guy who gave people a headache.

So, the current situation was actually quite good...

"Then, I will go consolidate my cultivation; if there are any conclusions from the higher-ups, remember to tell me."

"Oh... Hm? Wait?"

Meng Changqing, who had responded subconsciously, was stunned, feeling that he had been usurped once again. He couldn't help but twitch his mouth, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he saw that Du En had already run far away, treating this place as his own backyard, completely natural and at ease, which gave him a massive headache! Thus, he simply spoke up: "Her puppet body is with you, right?"

"Yes, yes, here." Jiang Ying took out the puppet body, and Meng Changqing took the Infant Core and cast it into it, immediately bringing it to life.

"Du En, what kind of consolidation are you doing? Go, take this outer sect junior sister for a walk."

Jin Miao'er was immediately flattered, completely forgetting that she had just been sealed; under Meng Changqing's gentle nod, she immediately ran over to act as Du En's little tail.

There was no open opposition here.

Faintly, one could hear such a conversation.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Du!"

"Junior Sister Jin, I see that within your puppet bodies, there seems to be a self-detonation setting? I have some insights into this aspect of artifact refining, especially skilled in the minor path of self-detonation; shall we discuss it?"

"Hahaha..."

Jin Miao'er was very embarrassed; she felt it was quite strange to start by discussing how to self-detonate.

However, she was not a normal person after all, but a member of the Rotten Forest Immortal Gate who had refined herself into a puppet with a Nascent Soul turned into a core, so in the blink of an eye, she began discussing with Du En the one hundred ways to better self-detonate.

"... Almost forgot, the puppet bodies from Rotten Forest have a common method of desperate self-detonation..."

Meng Changqing thought, and for a moment, he was somewhat silent.

Du En was skilled in self-detonating magic artifacts and specialized in magic artifact self-detonation; now that he was at the Deity Transformation stage, what he used naturally had to be replaced with fifth-tier magic artifacts, and they had to satisfy the ten-thousand-unit count of the Ten Thousand Control Art.

"No! I have to pick for him, and if there aren't any, I have to make them for him; in short, I must use a Daoist technique or secret art to overwrite the Ten Thousand Control Art, otherwise my meager savings will sooner or later be blown away by his self-detonations!"

Because in the time to come, there were plenty of things that needed to be handed over to Du En to do.

This was doing things for him, and the risk was very high; normally, one should provide whatever support was needed... For a moment, he felt great dissatisfaction toward True Person Zhenhong, who had given out the Ten Thousand Control Art as a prize back then.

And that bunch of Great Cultivators who were busy cleaning up their own messes and acting so leisurely—did they really think his place was a trash can that would accept any piece of junk? One by one, they had absolutely no self-awareness!

Thus, looking again at Jiang Ying, who had passed the test, he immediately smiled gently: "Little Jiang, don't be afraid. I will back you up in the future; you don't need to worry or hesitate, boldly seek your breakthrough. Once you succeed in Deity Transformation, there will be important matters to entrust to you."

"Uh, you might as well just say it; I'm a bit scared listening to you."

"No need to be afraid, it's just to hang your name at the Southern Pivot City, go there from time to time, and urge the guys over there."

"Oh! That's no problem!"

Teaching people a lesson, ah no, conducting irregular rectifications—this was very simple, and it was even in a place like Southern Pivot City, which was a place for retirement.

It couldn't be compared to Northern Pivot City, which was full of scheming, hostility, fighting arenas everywhere, and where battles could break out at any time! Jiang Ying felt in an instant that she had truly made the right choice in defecting! At the same time.

Du En had already returned to the thatched cottage by the fence, just like returning to his own home.

The topic of self-detonation had already been discussed, so he casually arranged for Jin Miao'er, who was very tactful at the moment and didn't dare to wander around for fear of being caught by other True Monarchs, and then walked into the room he had stayed in before.

"Let's continue to sort out the current situation first."

He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Aside from the parts he had already adapted to and sorted out, the most critical aspect actually remained to be explored.

When Du En opened his eyes again, his perspective had already switched to his primordial spirit.

Also in a cross-legged posture, he raised his hand and placed it before his eyes; he could only see the outline lines painted by Daoist cultivation and attainments. It was three-dimensional yet lacked substance, and was itself the totality of magic power, the foundation of cultivation, the manifestation of his cultivation level, and a collection summarizing all his past achievements.

However, this did not mean that the accumulation of his past cultivation had truly all returned here.

He lowered his hand and looked up.

The three palaces merged into one, forming the peak of the Divine Palace, overseeing the meridians of the entire universe, leading and managing the Qi, blood, and physical body, thus becoming the indisputable sole core.

It appeared even more towering and distant, existing since ancient times; the outer walls were painted with glowing patterns, the dome was an boundless blue sky, and everywhere was filled with burning vigorous grass growing on scorched earth.

The blue that should have been in an absolute dominant position had now been completely subverted.

Fire, crimson, scorching, white...

Du En stood up and turned to look.

"Screech!!!"

A ferocious phoenix claw suddenly reached over; it was Phoenix Remnant Hatred constantly making attempts.

At this moment, it was mixed into that giant burning wood that was being consumed by raging flames yet never burned out, constantly emerging with its own hatred and madness, tightly combined within this manifestation of the Dharma technique.

Looking directly through it, one could see a flower it was connected to.

The flower bloomed into three blossoms.

This was a transformation that Du En's natal magic treasure, the Azure Crimson Palace, had officially achieved after breaking through to the fifth tier along with his cultivation realm.

Manifested externally, it meant that at this moment, one blossom was blooming on the giant burning wood, another was hidden within the deep, boundless blue sky, and the final one was blooming right by the gate of the Divine Palace, mixed among the burning vigorous grass, appearing ready for use at any time, and now even possessing the external change of a storage bag.

It can transform into three types of magical treasures and implements simultaneously! To describe it plainly and without embellishment, that is how it is.

The improvement to his strength is naturally very obvious, but...

"The Phoenix Remnant Hatred must always occupy one flower, which invisibly diminishes this improvement."

Du En thought this, paying no mind to the frantic Remnant Hatred, and sat down cross-legged once more to begin circulating his Qi.

The firelight gradually grew intense, and the Remnant Hatred became increasingly frantic, for it had clearly realized that this hateful, arrogant, and damnable fellow before it was actually using it as a cultivation booster!

How could it endure this! It surged with more Remnant Hatred, but the current carrier port was controlled by Du En, who could block and imprison it!

Even if it wanted to squeeze out no matter how much, it was difficult to rush out for a moment, and every ten days, for his practice of adapting to the Phoenix Crimson True Flame, he would use his divine ability to fully recover once.

——As his cultivation level rises, the power of his divine ability naturally rises in sync.

Thus, the Phoenix Remnant Hatred actually cannot rush out at all; instead, driven by frantic hatred, it only acts in vain time and time again, serving as a wedding dress for Du En.

"Not bad. With this 'Phoenix' brand engine, the cultivation efficiency has indeed increased rapidly, just as expected."

The number of times he can circulate his Qi for cultivation each day has directly increased to four hundred.

This is the reason why Du En is willing to do this, even if it means taking risks and sacrificing a flower of magical treasure.

Further fleece the wool of the Phoenix Remnant Hatred! One must know that during its lifetime, it was a supreme Divine Venerable; even with only Remnant Hatred left and its status fallen significantly, with its boost, it can still make Du En's cultivation speed soar! Most crucially, it can maintain this bonus until the Great Vehicle stage, which is truly marvelous!

"It was worth the three years I spent figuring out this path of connection."

Of course, being able to achieve this is also thanks to another prerequisite.

The Phoenix Crimson True Flame!

This secret technique, now at the stage of Mastery, had already laid the foundation, which made his risk not actually all that risky, and he still had quite a firm grasp on it.

Moreover, now that he has finally brought the Fire Element into the mix, the liver-grinding rules of mutual complement and mutual triggering can also be triggered as a matter of course.

The Radiant Brilliance Canon is a top-grade cultivation method, and the Phoenix Crimson True Flame is a secret technique; its current power is equivalent to a Profound-grade Dao technique, which is clearly much higher than a top-grade cultivation method. Therefore, under the influence of the Phoenix Crimson True Flame, he now only needs to circulate his Qi for cultivation eight times to increase the proficiency of the cultivation method by one point.

Regarding this point, Du En could not help but nod inwardly.

Then, another point can already be confirmed.

The reason he was concerned about this before was that at that time, the proficiency stage of top-grade spells, even when converted normally, was clearly higher than the stage of the Green-Yellow Canon, an upper-grade cultivation method, yet there was no triggering or pulling effect.

"Sure enough, between upper-grade cultivation methods and top-grade cultivation methods—these two grades in the middle—and spells, there exists a situation of misaligned correspondence."

This situation was only fully confirmed at this moment.

That is, there are only six grades of cultivation methods, while there are eight grades of spells; the alignment between the two actually contains discrepancies.

Previously, he had thought it might be because he had cultivated incorrectly, and after reaching Minor Accomplishment, he had added various extra flourishes, ultimately leading to the abnormal situation.

But now, looking at the Radiant Brilliance Canon, which has no extra bonuses and was not cultivated incorrectly, the situation is very clear and distinct, and this judgment can be formally established.

The Green-Yellow Canon is the highest of the upper-grade cultivation methods, so it was invisibly better than other canons, actually straddling grades to correspond with top-grade spells.

Although the Radiant Brilliance Canon is theoretically also the highest of its tier, corresponding to Yellow-grade Dao techniques, because the secret technique of the Phoenix Crimson True Flame is also unique, the two now use their respective discrepancies to offset each other, just enough to open up a one-grade difference, which is why it appears to trigger this reduction rule normally.

There is just one point that concerns Du En, and that is that the Radiant Brilliance Canon might be similar to such secret techniques; after breaking through to Mastery, its correspondence will also change, matching up with Profound-grade Dao techniques.

At that time, the various Yellow-grade Dao techniques he has switched to cultivating will no longer be able to provide the pulling bonus.

In poor condition, insufficient stock of chapters, will no longer maintain ten thousand words a day from now on. (End of this chapter)